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A total of 6,159 patients have died in hospital after testing positive for coronavirus in the UK as of 5pm on Monday, the Department of Health said, up by 786 from 5,373 the day before.

The IHME models include the predicted effect of social distancing, and Murray said it was vital that measures aren't relaxed too suddenly once countries pass their morality peak.

US Navy personnel wear masks as researchers predict the US could see up to 80,000 deaths. (Getty)

"It is unequivocally evident that social distancing can, when well implemented and maintained, control the epidemic, leading to declining death rates," Murray said.

"Those nations hit hard early on implemented social distancing orders and may have the worst behind them as they are seeing important progress in reducing their death rates.

"Each nation's trajectory will change – and dramatically for the worse – if people ease up on social distancing or relax other precautions."

So far, the pandemic has infected more than 1.3 million people worldwide and over 74,000 deaths have been recorded.

The UN’s labour organisation estimates the equivalent of 195 million full-time jobs could be lost in the second quarter of the year alone from the COVID-19 outbreak, with businesses and factories shuttered worldwide.

The projection from the International Labour Organisation is based on an emerging impact of the virus, and it amounts to a big increase from its 18 March prediction for an extra 25 million job losses for all of 2020.

The agency said full or partial lockdown measures now affect nearly 2.7 billion workers or about 81% of the global workforce.

Some 1.25 billion are in hard-hit sectors such as hotel and food services, manufacturing and retail.